


Believe

by alwaysbringbackup_03



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: Dark One Emma Swan, F/F, First Kiss, Love Confessions, Once Upon A Time, swanqueen - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-12
Updated: 2018-12-12
Packaged: 2019-09-16 17:00:12
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,904
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16957965
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/alwaysbringbackup_03/pseuds/alwaysbringbackup_03
Summary: Regina saves Emma from the clutches of the Darkness.They seem to be good at saving each other. And why let a pesky little curse stop them?Or.Love wins.





	Believe

**Author's Note:**

> Hey, guys! So I was looking through my computer, consolidating the hundreds of documents in my folder, and I came across this. I don't know why I didn't post it. (I assume that at the time I didn't publish it because I was having doubts). But I read it, and I just thought...."it's a crime if this never sees the light of day. People deserve the chance to decide for themselves." So I've decided to just bite the bullet and throw this out into the masses. I'll let you guys decide what you think.
> 
> I know that the show has been over for years now, but a part of me still believes that their relationship is timeless. The love that Regina and Emma had for eachother, although never explored on the show, was undeniable. (You can argue with me about it all you want. No one could convince me otherwise).
> 
> Anyway, enough rambling. I hope you guys like this. It's short and sweet! Enjoy!

Regina can feel the wind cut into her, whipping her clothes around her body as she struggles forwards, one trembling step at a time. The wind is so strong, that it threatens to push her back with each passing second. She’s exerting every muscle in her body just to keep from going backwards.

Regina pushes forwards, the cool gusts biting into the exposed skin of her face and her neck. Her eyes water, and she is forced to turn her head, to avoid taking the headwinds straight on. The air around her is heavy, so heavy in fact that she can feel it compressing her chest, making it even harder to breathe. God, it would be so much easier to just give up and turn around. But after everything the blonde has given her, she knows that she owes Emma this.

She can hear the blonde’s words as clearly as if the blonde is speaking them to her now.

“ _You worked too hard to have your happiness destroyed_.”

At that moment, she had seen the determination in Emma’s eyes, and had known that there was nothing that she could say to dissuade the blonde from saving her.

The brunette glances behind her to see that she is one of the only people left standing. David, Mary Margaret, and Robin had fallen behind long ago, at the edge of the cyclone.

Regina steels her resolve. She’s going to get through this. She has to.

Regina’s grip tightens on the long silver blade clutched in her hand, as she struggles to remind herself of why it is that she’s doing this. Her eyes dart to the long sinuous blade clutched in her hand and the black letters etched into the silver. A name composed of black letters that should not be there…. It constricts Regina’s throat just thinking about it.

Emma Swan as the _Dark One_.

There are so many things that are wrong about this whole situation. The first of which, is that the blonde had sacrificed herself for Regina so that she could finally get her happy ending, but instead had taken all of Regina’s happiness with her. It had taken a long time for Regina to understand why such a gesture of selflessness, and of kindness, had left her feeling so empty. Surely, she should feel gratitude towards the blonde for doing something so undeniably selfless, shouldn’t she? Then why did she feel only anger?

The truth was, it wasn’t until Regina was ready to acknowledge how she really felt about this whole mess, that she also began to realize why she didn’t feel as she should. She wasn’t angry for the reasons that she would have expected, but instead she was angry because she felt as if she’d been abandoned. The blonde was her best friend, and for a long time she was just _gone_. The brunette also hated being the reason for Emma’s pain. Regina couldn’t bear knowing the sort of pain the blonde had put herself through, simply to spare Regina from it. But most of all, she was angry with Emma for not realizing that she was ruining any of Regina’s chances at happiness. Because, even though Regina never realized it until it was too late, she loved the blonde, and would love her until she drew her last breath. She hated knowing that she’d missed out on her happy ending, because she hadn’t seen what was right in front of her all along.

Then, in time, that hatred and anger dissipated as she began to analyze the blonde’s reasons for acting as she did. It had taken Regina a long time for her to understand the blonde’s motives. She had spent hours –countless hours- mulling it over. She analyzed every look, every expression, and every single word until she could only come to one conclusion. Emma Swan loved her. She was in love with her, and she had given up her own soul so that Regina could finally have her happy ending. The irony of it all, however, was that Emma had sacrificed everything for a happy ending – as it so happened- that Regina had only settled for. Emma had been the one that Regina truly wanted. The blonde _had been_ for a long time.

Now, when she looked back on that night, Regina could feel only pity. She felt pity for herself and Emma, and the truth that had never been spoken between them. She felt a deep sadness. Because she couldn’t help but think that they had missed out on something that could have been so fucking beautiful, if it had only just gone a different way.

Emma was the first woman who had ever truly saw her for what she was, a fallible human being, who was just trying to do the best that she possibly could to find redemption and happiness. She’d been with Regina every step of the way, helping her towards redemption in Henry’s eyes, and in those of the town.

Regina screams harshly as a strong gust actually lifts her up in the air for a brief moment and throws her backwards. And before Regina even has a chance to brace herself for the impact, she hits the concrete hard and rolls. She feels several of her ribs crack at the impact, and lies on the icy concrete for several minutes, just struggling to breathe.

Regina can’t even hear the sounds of her own groans, because the wind is so loud.

She picks up the dagger once more in her hand, and slowly struggles to her feet. She’s hunched to one side now, favoring her injured ribs and shoulder. She grits her teeth together and seeks to make up the ground she’s just lost. She can see Emma now, half a block away.

It’s so dark here, in the heart of the storm that it’s hard to make out anything around her.

She feels debris swirl around in the air, slicing through her skin like tiny razors, and she knows that she will likely have to fish out dozens of tiny pieces of glass from her skin later on. But she’s too focused on Emma, to care about it.

Regina shivers as she hears Emma’s pained screams, as the blonde fights the darkness. The blonde’s feet hover off of the ground. Emma’s body is bowed backwards, her eyes facing towards the sky, as the darkness suspends her, and whips around the blonde in a frenzied panic. She can see wisps of light being pulled out of the blonde and extinguished. Every time Regina sees it happen, the blonde’s screams get just a little louder.

Regina feels for her, having experienced that pain herself. Although, she knows that it was nothing compared to what the blonde has endured these past few months. Regina had only needed to endure it for a mere minute before the darkness was lifted from her; the blonde has been going through this for months.

“Emma!” Regina shouts as she staggers forwards another few steps. The blonde looks back to the earth then, her eyes searching through the darkness for Regina. “You need to fight it! Emma, _please_ , you’re destroying the whole town.”

“I…I can’t,” Emma says, her voice strangled by her pain. “I’m not strong enough. I can’t do it anymore.”

“Yes, you can!” Regina assures the blonde as she breaks through the inner wall, and stumbles forwards, onto her knees. She can feel the impact throughout her whole body, but feels an enormous sense of relief. She can finally breathe again, and she can hear herself speak. It’s quieter here, in the eye of the storm. She glances over her shoulder and gasps at the enormity of the storm with a sheer sense of disbelief.

How in the hell had she ever made it through _that_?

The dark one’s dagger clatters to the ground, and she feels Emma’s eyes shoot towards it.

“You brought it,” Emma states. Regina suddenly plucks it from the ground.

“Emma,” Regina murmurs as she tries to push herself to her feet again, but fails. She has no more energy. She’s exhausted all of it just to get here, to this moment.

“Why are you here?” Emma practically whispers, as she begins to sink back towards the ground. Light and darkness still whip around her skin in a dizzying flash of black and white. Regina hates that she finds the display so beautiful, but it is what it is. “Did you really fight your entire way here, just to tell me to get my shit together?” Emma winces, “I’m afraid you’re going to be disappointed. I can’t control it.”

“No,” Regina shakes her head. “It’s not like that.”

“Then what is it?” Emma challenges, as her feet touch ground. Her feet are finally back on the ground. Regina can see lightning bolts flash across Emma’s pupils, and the sight nearly awes her.

“I…I had to see you,” Regina splutters. The sound is entirely new, and Emma is surprised to see the tears burning hotly in Regina’s eyes. “You gave up your entire future for me.”

“Regina,” Emma’s voice is tight, “Don’t do this to yourself. I did what I did so that you could be happy, _not_ so that you could endlessly torture yourself with guilt.”

“You don’t get it, do you?” Regina declares angrily. “You took any chance for a happy ending with you, the second that you gave yourself up to the darkness,” Regina pronounces as she reaches up to scrub away the tears from her face. “You destroyed everything you were for nothing… _nothing,_ Emma.”

“I…I don’t understand,” Emma voices as her face scrunches up in confusion. “What are you trying to say?”

“I love you,” Regina confesses aloud for the first time. It comes out as more of an exasperated cry. “I think I’ve been in love with you…for a long time - as long I can remember.”

“No,” Emma denies her this.

“Emma,” Regina pleads, “Emma, I’m serious.” Regina tries to ignore the searing pain in her chest that she feels when Emma laughs.

“Don’t be ridiculous,” Emma says, but Regina can hear the undeniable strain in her voice. “You - You’ve always despised me. You only just started tolerating my existence this last year. You just feel _guilty_ , Regina. That’s all _this_ _is_.”

“Emma,” Regina says thickly, “You _know_ that that’s not what this is. I _know_ you can _feel_ _it_. I know you do.”

“Stop!” Emma screams, her voice suddenly booming like thunderclouds. It causes Regina to wince, but the brunette is determined not to give up. “Stop it, Regina. Can’t you see how much you’re _hurting_ me?”

“No,” Regina says defiantly. “I’m not going to stop saying it until you listen to me. Hell, I’m not going to stop saying it until you _believe_ _me_.” Regina swallows thickly, before saying in as strong a voice as she can muster, “I, Regina Mills, am in love with you, Emma Swan. And I’m not going to stop loving you until the day I die.”

“No,” Emma denies again, as tears begin to prick at her own eyes, “You’re in love with Robin. _Robin_ , Regina!” Regina watches as Emma’s expression tightens with anger. The blonde’s jaw clenches shut, and Regina braces herself for what is about to come. She can see the muscles ripple in Emma’s forearms as the blonde’s hands curl into fists. Regina feels a tremor shoot through the ground, as the blonde before her starts trembling. “I gave up _everything_ so you could be with _Robin_ , Regina, _not_ so that you could come here and…and… tell me ridiculous lies!”

“They’re not lies,” Regina cries out, her voice earnest, “You would know if I were lying to you. Somehow, I think it terrifies you even more, because you know that I’m telling you the truth, Emma. But you should know, it’s okay to be scared. I love you, and it’s okay for you to be scared of what you feel for me.”

Regina suddenly gasps, as she watches as she witnesses a sort of transformation. It’s as if she can see every wall that Emma has ever built come crashing down. For the first time, she can seemingly see the vulnerable and insecure woman that Emma had locked away for all of this time. And she’s so beautiful that Regina is blown away. “Why?” Emma whimpers, “Why do this now?” Regina opens her mouth to speak, but cannot. “To torture me? To…To destroy me even _more_ completely. Is this not enough?”

“Emma,” Regina begs, her voice welling with her love for Emma. “Emma, please. I’m not doing this to break you. I came here to save the woman I fell in love with. It’s time for her to come back.”

“Well, I have some news for you, Regina,” Emma hisses, “The Emma you fell in love with is gone. She’s _gone_ , and she’s not coming back.”

“No,” Regina speaks, with a roughened voice. “I refuse to believe that. I refuse to give up on the woman I love. Because I _know_ that she’s still in there somewhere.” With that, Regina pushes herself to her feet and approaches Emma. Emma flinches backwards as Regina reaches out for her.

“ _Don’t_ ,” Emma grits out, as Regina sees a flicker of light in Emma’s eyes for the brief moment it’s uttered. “It’s not… safe.”

“Emma,” Regina’s gaze softens, “You won’t hurt me, I promise. I - I can protect myself from you.”

“Jesus,” Emma laughs, though the sound is filled with anything but humor. It sound is so pain-filled it nearly rips Regina in half. “You said it yourself. I’ve destroyed half of the fucking town. How can you even trust me?”

“Because I know you,” Regina whispers as she reaches out to touch the blonde.

“Regina,” Emma’s eyes glaze over for a moment in tears. The word sounds wet, and Regina can see the depth of the pain in the blue-green eyes before her. “Please.”

“Please what?” Regina asks. Emma closes her eyes as she feels Regina arms slide around her back, and she’s pulled forwards into a fierce embrace. “God, I’ve missed you,” Regina whispers, and Emma can hear the emotion in those four words. “You have no idea just how much.”

“I’ve missed you too,” Emma confesses in her ear, as if it’s taking all of her energy to choke out those four words. Regina finds that she suddenly can’t breathe as she pulls back in order to see whether it’s the Dark One, or Emma that is looking back at her. She’s relieved with what she finds. It’s Emma. The blonde is speaking to her.

“Please, Regina,” Emma’s voice is constricted. “I don’t know how long I can hang on.”

“It’s going to be okay,” Regina says, in a hoarse whisper, as her tears escape. “I’m so sorry for all of this, Emma. I’m so sorry it took so long for me to realize what was in front of me this whole time. But I’m going to make this right, I promise.”

“Do you really mean that?” Emma’s voice is even more strained as the blonde speaks to her again. Regina nods. “Then, I need you to do something for me.”

“Of course,” Regina replies without question. “ _Anything._ ”

“Kill me,” Emma suddenly begs her. For a moment, Regina thinks that the Dark One is simply toying with her, but then as she looks into Emma’s eyes, she suddenly realizes that it is Emma who is actually begging Regina for her to end her life.

“No,” Regina breathes, as she struggles for a reply. “I…I can’t. I’m so sorry, Emma, but I can’t do it. I will do anything…anything for you, but _that_.”

“If you truly love me,” Emma whimpers, “Please… you have to do this for me. This is the only thing I’ve ever asked you for. Please…I beg of you, Regina. Release me from this.”

“I can’t,” Regina says as tears build steadily in her eyes. “I love you, Emma. But I can’t do what you’re asking. I can’t bear to lose you. Not now.”

“Sometimes, you have to let go of the people you love,” Emma says, “Please, Regina. You said that you wanted to fix this. I’m sorry. Look, I wish I were stronger, but I’m not. I...I concede defeat. This… This is what I want.”

“No, Emma,” Regina says tearfully as she turns back to the blonde. “You don’t understand. If you do this, there’s no coming back. You’ll - You’ll die.”

“I know,” Emma replies. “But it has to happen this way. My magic is too powerful. You said it yourself, I’m destroying the whole town. I…I destroy _everything_ I touch. And I have no doubt that if I stay any longer that I’ll wind up destroying you too. It… It has to _end_.”

Emma closes her eyes and drops to her knees, groaning.

“Emma?” Regina says as she drops to her knees, in front of the blonde. “Emma, what’s wrong.”

“I don’t have much control left,” Emma informs her as she opens her eyes. Regina can see the storm raging inside the blonde’s blue green eyes, “The darkness is fighting to take hold again. I’m losing.”

“Emma-”

“I’m sorry,” Emms swallows. It sounds like she’s in pain. “I’m so sorry I never told you. I’m sorry that you had to find out this way.”

“It doesn’t matter. None of that matters anymore. All that matters now, is you. I love you,” Regina whispers as her fingers seize Emma under the chin, and she pulls the blonde forwards, her lips crashing against Emma’s with a sort of magnetic pull. Regina allows her eyes to flutter shut, as she pours everything she has into the kiss. It is a wordless plea for Emma to just hang on. She needs the blonde to trust her - to trust in them and what they have.

She has faith in them. She can’t explain it, but she knows. She thinks that she knew it from the very first day. Emma is her true love. Emma is special beyond anyone’s wildest imaginings.

She believes that they love each other enough to conquer the darkness, in a way that it had never been conquered before. Regina moans softly as she feels small jolts of electricity crackle against her skin, as they transfer from Emma’s body to hers. For a moment, the painfulness of the small shocks nearly makes her pull away from the blonde, but then she starts to find them pleasurable. She moans again, as she feels the blonde’s hands slip into her hair, when Emma finally reciprocates. Suddenly, something shifts in the air around them. The storm around them begins to die, as Emma begins to focus on the feel of Regina’s lips against her own. Slowly, Emma begins to feel the darkness loosen its hold on her. The light starts beginning to fight back the darkness, and for the first time in several months, Emma can feel herself gain the upper hand over the dark thoughts threatening to swallow her whole. The thought, though it should feel wonderful, also terrifies her. She breaks the kiss. Regina’s eyes spring open.

“What is happening?” Emma asks breathlessly. “Regina?”

“It’s working,” Regina tells her as she sees Emma begin to turn back into her normal self. The white of Emma’s hair is slowly returning to its typical gold. Emma’s eyes are also turning slowly back into their normal shade of green. She much preferred this to the dark gold that they’d been before. “I love you,” Regina says with a thick voice, “I knew you were the one. I knew you had to be my true love. I just _knew_ it.” Emma gasps at the words, and at the feeling of the brunette’s lips on hers once more.

All too soon, the blonde pulls away. For an infinitesimal moment, glazed chocolate brown meets green.

“I love you too, Regina,” Emma smiles as she reaches out to brush a stray tendril of hair behind Regina’s ear. “You have no idea just how much.”

“You gave up your soul for me, Emma,” Regina tells her with a gentle smile, “You must love me pretty damned much.”

“Well, when you put it that way,” Emma laughs, “Then, yeah…maybe you do know just how much.”

“Kiss me,” Regina tells her suddenly, as she sees the darkness trying to steal back what is hers. It makes her afraid that she is about to lose the blonde again. “Just kiss me, Emma. And don’t stop, not for anything in the world, do you hear me?”

Emma listens to Regina, just this once. She crashes her lips against the brunette’s and reaches up to the brunette’s face to hold the invaluable woman against her as she kisses Regina back with everything she has. She puts everything she feels towards this woman behind the kiss. She allows herself to drown in feelings of love, of friendship, of trust, and so much more. She allows herself to experience feelings that were once so daunting and terrifying. Emma knows that this is her only chance of being saved. And she doesn’t want to die. Not really. It’s just that she had convinced herself that it was the only option. Now she could see just how wrong that belief had been. Life had so much more in store for her. And Emma can’t help but feel overwhelmed by the fact that she’d almost missed out on it.

Emma kisses Regina until she has no breath left in her lungs, and no energy left in her body. She feels so very warm, as she focuses on the sensation of Regina’s warm body pressed against hers. The kiss breaks, and for a long moment, they just breathe in tandem.

No words are spoken. No words are needed, as they just focus on feeling everything that had transpired in the last few minutes. Emma can feel Regina’s forehead pressed against hers. She can feel the soft puffs of sweet tasting air that Regina exhales against her face. Eyes slowly open, and Regina pulls back in order to gaze into Emma’s eyes, her expression ever hopeful, ever wishful.

“Did it…work?” Emma finally asks. “Am I… Am I back to normal?”

“You mean you don’t know?” Regina retorts, though her eyes are twinkling.

“Yes, I feel…” Emma pauses as she does some self-searching. “It worked,” Emma gasps. “I was so scared to let go of it all, but ultimately all that mattered was just that I wanted to hold onto _you_. The power…the darkness… In the end, none of it mattered. Nothing could possibly matter to me as much as my love for you.”

Regina laughs, and the sound of joy warms Emma’s heart.

“I’m so glad that you said that,” Regina breathes suddenly, “Because I feel the exact same way.”

“Yeah?” Emma asks.

“Yeah,” Regina says with a resolute nod. Regina’s expression transforms to one of sheepishness as she says, “Listen, Emma. I know that this is all quite sudden, and… it’s probably too soon, but would… would you do me the honor of going to dinner with me?”

“Why Madame Mayor, I never thought that you would ask,” Emma smiles, “I would love to go to dinner with you, assuming Granny’s is still standing.”

_And they both lived happily ever after._

**Author's Note:**

> Love you all! Thanks for reading! :)


End file.
